This invention relates generally to data centers, and more particularly to efficient cooling of computing devices within a data center.
Heat removal is a prominent factor in computer system and data center design. The number of servers deployed within a data center has steadily increased as server performance has improved, thereby increasing the amount of heat generated during the regular operation of the servers. The reliability of servers used within a data center decreases if the environment in which they operate is permitted to increase in temperature over time. A significant portion of the data center's power is used for cooling electronics at the server level. As the number or servers within a data center increase, a greater portion of the power is commensurately consumed by the data center to cool electronic components within the servers.
In conventional data structures, a Computer Room Air Conditioner (“CRAC”) circulates cold air throughout a data center. Conventionally, the CRAC is a closed-loop system that cools returning air drawn from within the data center and recirculates the cooled air to the servers within the data center. Because air drawn by the CRAC originates within the data center, the air has an increased temperature from cooling the servers in the data center. As the power used by the servers within a data center increases, so does the power used by the CRAC to cool the return air. This closed loop also increases the power and associated cost for data center operation.